What Not Shop, 1st Street, Cerrillos, New Mexico
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In the last post we learned about some of the history of the Los Cerrillos Ghost Town and took our first look at some of the buildings which remain there. Los Cerrillos is located about 30 miles south of Santa Fe, New Mexico on State Highway 14, the scenic road from Santa Fe to Albuquerque. This highway is also known as The Turquoise Trail.
In the last post we visited the Delallo-Simoni Building which is on First Street. Also on First Street, across Main Street from the Delallo-Simoni Building is the What Not Shop.
The earliest records, from 1893, show the two structures on the east side of First Street that are today the What Not Shop as separate saloons. By the late 1890s they had merged into one large saloon, but by 1902 they were separate again, the building on the north selling clothes & dry goods and the one of the south a general store. During Prohibition (1920-1933) a tunnel was dug beneath First Street (which at the time served as State Highway 10) that allowed surreptitious movement of goods between the basement of this building and the basement of Torreano’s store across the street. Many of the locals were experienced miners so this was not the only Prohibition-inspired unofficial tunnel in Cerrillos. In 1957 E. J. Mitch & Margie Mitchell moved their antique store from the DeLallo-Simoni building and reopened here as the What Not Shop.
Throughout the town are many relics making it look as if the town is still a busy town occupied by all of the miners that lived here at the end of the nineteen century. In the image below we find part of a horse bridle which was hanging from the rafters of the What Not Shop porch.
Part of a horse bridle, What Not Shop, 1st Street, Cerrillos, New Mexico
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Click here to learn more about Los Cerrilos and the other Ghost Towns of New Mexico
Twitter: ljsaltiel
| August 7, 2013
I have always wanted to visit one of these old (almost) abandoned towns from the old west. Your posts have made me want to do it even more Mark. Terrific post and images.
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| August 9, 2013
Many thanks, Len. There are more posts from Cerrillos to come in the next two weeks which I hope will make you want to visit one of these ghost towns even more. They really are fun places to make images.
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| August 9, 2013
Love the image of the shop Mark but the bridle there’s something about that one. I just love it.
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| August 9, 2013
Many thanks, Edith.
Twitter: JimiJones
| August 11, 2013
Nice shots, Mark. That old bridle stands out nicely.
Lots of history in this town. I’m enjoying reading about it.
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| August 11, 2013
Many thanks, Jimi.
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| August 21, 2013
Love that first image!